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Summary Of The New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander

1069 Words5 Pages

When the voting act of 1965 was passed, it was viewed as a turning point for segregation in America. As if it described in history textbooks, it is when all forms of racism were abolished – on paper. However, it was not at all like that. Racism then had to be discreet and systems that were built on racism were never reformed and instead, instilled systematic and institutional racism. In her book, “The New Jim Crow”, Michelle Alexander speaks on the injustices she has viewed and relates them all back to the concept that racism was reformed to fit into today’s society through systems and institutions. The New Jim Crow, a novel written by Michelle Alexander, focuses on the new wave of racism seen in present day United States of America. Alexander …show more content…

In the past 40 years, drug offenses have been on the rise as a priority offense. According to Prison Policy, 1 in 5 incarcerated inmates are locked up for a drug offense. At the same time, black people make up 40% of the prison/jail population, which is more than the white population of 39%. Considering that black people only make up 13% of the nation, this disproportionate rate of black people being arrested is quite evident. Conversely, when it comes to drugs, black people are the highest demographic arrested for drug offenses, even though all races and ethnicities sell drugs at very similar rates. However, black men are arrested and charged for drug offenses at, “rates twenty to fifty times greater than those of white men” (Alexander, 2010). This discrepancy raises questions as to why are black men targeted for drug offenses more than all other races when black people use and sell drugs at similar rates as the other demographics. Mass incarceration stemmed from the influx of arrests made in the 1980’s and 90’s; these hordes of people put into prisons means more than just time behind …show more content…

In addition, many will claim that if black people want to make it ‘better for themselves’, that they must work harder to stay out the prison system. While that could apply, the reason that the prison system is overflowing with black bodies is that the system was designed to target black people in the first place. Often enough, cops are targeting poorer neighborhoods that are at capacity with people, most of them usually being people of color. Because of this, as stated previously, more of the arrests are of people of color. To battle this system that keeps minorities down, it must be reconstructed, eliminating racial bias throughout the court and judicial system, police officers and many others. It is a difficult task but it is an imperative task if the war on mass incarceration wants to make

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